Royal Gardens Area Lava Flow From 12/4-5/2001

Sorry, but I fell asleep at the switch and missed this great video post at Big Island Video News, one of my favorite sites.

To see this up-close video that was shot 2 weeks ago, go to http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2011/12/07/video-amazing-footage-of-lava-burning-royal-gardens-hawaii/

To get the latest information posted by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), you can visit their Kilauea Status Reports, which is updated daily.

Here is their latest post, which updates the status of the flow running thru Royal Gardens:

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:12 AM HST

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: The West Ka`ili`ili ocean entry may be intermittently active fed by flows from Pu`u `O`o through the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision and expanding across the coastal plain. Glow could be seen from sources within Pu`u `O`o crater. the summit lava lake level was variable. Seismic tremor levels were low and gas emissions were elevated.

Viewing Summary: East rift zone flow field – Active lava flows are within the closed-access Kahauale’a Natural Area Reserve and private property within the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision and can only be viewed from the air and from the County Viewing Area at Kalapana. Pu`u `O`o Cone, the West Ka`ili`ili lava ocean entry, and Kilauea Crater – Pu`u `O`o cone, the lava ocean entry, and Kilauea Crater are within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; access and viewing information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm.

Photos of lava entering the ocean, taken on December 13, 2011

from http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html.

There are some great pictures posted at their website, follow the link above.

The current lava flow, coming down the pali and traversing the coastal plain, reached the ocean late last week. The ocean entry point is within the National Park, near its eastern border. Today, numerous small streams of lava were cascading over the sea cliff, and lava entering the water was starting to build a small delta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lava continues to flow through the former Royal Gardens subdivision as it makes it way to the coastal plain and entry into the ocean.  This is the first such activity in the area since March of this year.  It is possible to catch sight of part of this activity from the public viewing area located at Kalapana.  This viewing area is located outside of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and is maintained by Hawaii County.

This pic, taken on December 2, 2011, gives a great view of the flow going thru Royal Gardens subdivision.